thought.
“They will do what they can when the shooting starts,” he said. “I do not have very great hopes for their success, however. There are at least two hundred men in the village, I have just been told. A few of those are paid by us, of course, but they cannot help openly or their usefulness is at an end.”
“We’re supposed to give it a try,” I said. “But it’s a secondary objective and they’re your people. How hard you want them to try, under the circumstances, is for you to say. Is our primary objective at home?”
“Yes. I am told that he is expecting visitors by road before nightfall. We can hope that they will arrive before the light fails, and that he will come out of his hut to greet them. The entrance faces this way, as you will see when you get up there.” He inclined his head towards the top of the ridge.
“Sure.” I slid the pack off my back and got out the ten-power binoculars I’d brought along. “Will you assist me, Colonel, or can you assign me a man who speaks some English?”
“I will assist you personally.”
It was good in some ways, bad in others. “It is understood,” I said carefully, “that if I make requests or give instructions, I mean no disrespect for your rank.”
He gave me his thin smile. He was a good-looking little man; he must have been a pretty boy. I didn’t let that influence my judgment. Some of the meanest, switchblade-packing pachucos I’d known back home were real handsome kids.
He said, “It is understood.”
“Then I want you to take these glasses,” I said. “I want you to be watching through them when I fire. If I miss, you must tell me where it goes so I can correct the next shot properly.”
“There will not be time for many shots,” Jiminez said.
His expression didn’t change, but it was clear nevertheless that he didn’t like my talking about misses. One American agent had already missed.
I said, “If there’s time for one, there’s generally time for two. If I miss, look for the dust where it hits and give me the distance I’m off. In meters or fractions of a meter if you like. Give me the direction by the clock. Twelve o’clock, three o’clock, six o’clock, nine o’clock, or points between. You understand?”
“Si. I have shot at the targets, señor, if without much success. I understand. Just a moment.”
He rose and spoke softly to a man standing by, who seemed to be a non-commissioned officer of some kind. The NCO went over to a group of others and spoke to them, pointing to the ridge. They all started scrambling upward, fanning out. Jiminez returned and sat down again.
“We will let them get into position and dig in,” he said. “They will remain to cover us as we withdraw, as long as they can hold, outnumbered. Then they will retreat inland, while we hide overnight in a place that has been selected. If things go well, they will draw the pursuit after them and confuse it in the darkness, leaving us to make for the coast undisturbed tomorrow. It is a good plan, I think. Of course it will not work.”
I glanced at him quickly. “Why not?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “No battle plan has worked in every detail since the dawn of history, señor. Why should this one?” He glanced at his watch. “We should take our positions within ten minutes. We must be ready when the visitors arrive.”
“Sure.”
I reached for the plastic case and pulled the long zipper and broke the seal inside. I suppose it was a solemn moment, kind of like finally consummating the marriage after a long courtship. Well, the real consummation was still to come, but I’d spent a long time preparing this equipment and bringing it here; just taking it out should have been celebrated with a little ceremony, say a toast or a prayer. However, it was no time to be drinking, and I’ve kind of got out of the habit of praying. I just reached in first and found a little bag containing what looked like white gravel and tossed it to
“They will do what they can when the shooting starts,” he said. “I do not have very great hopes for their success, however. There are at least two hundred men in the village, I have just been told. A few of those are paid by us, of course, but they cannot help openly or their usefulness is at an end.”
“We’re supposed to give it a try,” I said. “But it’s a secondary objective and they’re your people. How hard you want them to try, under the circumstances, is for you to say. Is our primary objective at home?”
“Yes. I am told that he is expecting visitors by road before nightfall. We can hope that they will arrive before the light fails, and that he will come out of his hut to greet them. The entrance faces this way, as you will see when you get up there.” He inclined his head towards the top of the ridge.
“Sure.” I slid the pack off my back and got out the ten-power binoculars I’d brought along. “Will you assist me, Colonel, or can you assign me a man who speaks some English?”
“I will assist you personally.”
It was good in some ways, bad in others. “It is understood,” I said carefully, “that if I make requests or give instructions, I mean no disrespect for your rank.”
He gave me his thin smile. He was a good-looking little man; he must have been a pretty boy. I didn’t let that influence my judgment. Some of the meanest, switchblade-packing pachucos I’d known back home were real handsome kids.
He said, “It is understood.”
“Then I want you to take these glasses,” I said. “I want you to be watching through them when I fire. If I miss, you must tell me where it goes so I can correct the next shot properly.”
“There will not be time for many shots,” Jiminez said.
His expression didn’t change, but it was clear nevertheless that he didn’t like my talking about misses. One American agent had already missed.
I said, “If there’s time for one, there’s generally time for two. If I miss, look for the dust where it hits and give me the distance I’m off. In meters or fractions of a meter if you like. Give me the direction by the clock. Twelve o’clock, three o’clock, six o’clock, nine o’clock, or points between. You understand?”
“Si. I have shot at the targets, señor, if without much success. I understand. Just a moment.”
He rose and spoke softly to a man standing by, who seemed to be a non-commissioned officer of some kind. The NCO went over to a group of others and spoke to them, pointing to the ridge. They all started scrambling upward, fanning out. Jiminez returned and sat down again.
“We will let them get into position and dig in,” he said. “They will remain to cover us as we withdraw, as long as they can hold, outnumbered. Then they will retreat inland, while we hide overnight in a place that has been selected. If things go well, they will draw the pursuit after them and confuse it in the darkness, leaving us to make for the coast undisturbed tomorrow. It is a good plan, I think. Of course it will not work.”
I glanced at him quickly. “Why not?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “No battle plan has worked in every detail since the dawn of history, señor. Why should this one?” He glanced at his watch. “We should take our positions within ten minutes. We must be ready when the visitors arrive.”
“Sure.”
I reached for the plastic case and pulled the long zipper and broke the seal inside. I suppose it was a solemn moment, kind of like finally consummating the marriage after a long courtship. Well, the real consummation was still to come, but I’d spent a long time preparing this equipment and bringing it here; just taking it out should have been celebrated with a little ceremony, say a toast or a prayer. However, it was no time to be drinking, and I’ve kind of got out of the habit of praying. I just reached in first and found a little bag containing what looked like white gravel and tossed it to
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